This invention relates to a free standing fireplace hearth and a fuel composition for use therein.
In many patio, deck, back yard or other similar outside settings, an actively burning fire is often used to add significant ambiance to the setting. In addition to the visual appearance of the fire, the setting is enhanced by the soothing and pleasing crackling and popping sound of a wood burning fire. However, wood burning fires of this type often require significant attention to periodically add logs to maintain the fire. Wood burning fires generate a significant amount of ash, soot and the like thereby requiring clean up. Further, open kettles or the like which are commonly used to house the burning logs present a significant hazard and often do not adequately contain the fire during use thereby leading to the potential and dangerous spread of the fire through falling and burning logs, cinders or the like. Constant attention to the fire is thereby prudently required.
Therefore, there is a need for an improved outdoor fireplace or hearth which avoids these above-described drawbacks while still offering the visual and audible ambiance of a burning wood fire.
In a further aspect of the invention, it is highly desirable to provide a self-containing fire hearth which provides the ambience of a wood burning fire, that is a flame which has the appearance and sound of a wood burning flame, but without the necessity of wood fuel or cleanup of waste combustion products usually attendant a wood-fueled fire. Moreover and in this regard, it will be appreciated that an "ambience" fire or flame need not be measured by the typical parameters applied to a fire. For example, heat output, or BTUs, is a typical fire or heat performance criteria as is the heat producing efficiency from the fuel used. In a free-standing fire or hearth for ambience purposes, these parameters and efficiencies are relatively unimportant. In the case of heat production, the less heat produced, the better.
What is important are entirely different characteristics, namely burn time, fuel volume and burn characteristics. Thus, the efficiency of a decorative or ambient fire, for example, is measured in consideration of these parameters and their coalescence to provide the most desirable aesthetic result, with an acceptable burn time, at the least operational cost.
For example, acceptable burn characteristics require a fire with golden colored flame having random dancing patterns. A desirable burn time per fuel load is in the two to four hour range and the fuel cost per unit used should be low, compared to other systems within the above parameters.
Accordingly, it is a further objective of the invention to provide a freestanding fireplace hearth with an improved efficiency taking into account burn characteristics, volume of fuel used and burn time or duration per fuel unit consumed.
A further objective of the invention has thus been to provide a freestanding fireplace hearth with improved flame color and burning sound like a wood burning fire, at acceptable burn time and fuel volume used.